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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26636227">Sundown</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/belivaird_st/pseuds/belivaird_st'>belivaird_st</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Carol (2015), The Price of Salt - Patricia Highsmith</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/F</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 08:15:15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>383</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26636227</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/belivaird_st/pseuds/belivaird_st</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Carol arrives late and misses her chance to pick up Therese from work.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Carol Aird/Therese Belivet</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>35</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Sundown</h2></a>
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    <p>“You’ll be waitin’ till Christmas standing there,” Dannie quips, lugging his shoulder bag beside Therese near a paper newsstand outside the busy street curb.</p><p>“She’ll be here any moment,” Therese says more to herself than to the slim young fellow. The beating afternoon sun peaked above the tall, skyscraper city buildings that towered around them. It was the kind of weather September had cold mornings but warm afternoons.</p><p>“C’mon, let’s take the subway,” Dannie urges, bopping his square cap head in motion.</p><p>“That’s alright,” Therese refuses. She knows Carol will be pulling up any second. Knowing how late she was, Therese didn’t mind.</p><p>“If I leave, some cougar will rob you...”</p><p>“Dannie, just go. You don’t have to worry about me.”</p><p>They grow quiet. Dannie doesn’t leave her. Five minutes turn into ten minutes. Thirty turns into an hour...</p><p>“See? Nobody’s coming’ for you, kid,” he tells her once they enter the underground tunnel. Therese keeps glancing back over her shoulder at the railway station with Dannie’s hand pressing her lower back.</p><p> </p><p>Miles away on the other side of town, seat buckled behind the wheel with a cigarette between two gloved fingers, sits Carol, grumbling through the long steady line of traffic built ahead of her. She listens to the several car honks of other drivers bleeping noisily. Sighing, she knows Therese will not be happy for being so late. If she only had a way to reach the Times’ office building faster.</p><p> </p><p>Her heart sinks to discover that Therese appears nowhere in sight on the gutter curb sidewalk. She probably got tired of waiting and found another way home. Cursing to herself, Carol tosses out the cigarette and fiddles with the gearshift. She presses her foot on the gas pedal and drives onward.</p><p>“Therese?” she calls out the girl’s name later on while closing the door shut behind her. Carol pulls loose her orange headscarf and removes her pair of sunglasses.</p><p>Within seconds, Therese emerges the hallway from the actual apartment with today’s mail. She smiles when Carol approaches her with cool hands cupping her face.</p><p>“I took the subway,” Therese confesses.</p><p>“The traffic was unbearable, darling, I’m sorry,” Carol speaks between eager, soft kisses. </p><p>“We're having egg parm tonight,” Therese murmurs, grasping Carol’s hand that hangs over one blue checkered shoulder.</p>
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